Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-03-28
THE UPS AND Downs OF POLITICS.
"reminiscences of Men who Once Fig
ured In Public Life.

"Reminiscences of Men who Once Fig.
ured In Public Life.
[From the New York Sum-
Mr.. Blaine, when asked by one of the
Republican committee what the effect Of the
Democratic victory in 1884 would be upon
| the Republican party, replied that it would
bring younger generation of politicians to
the front. Though it is only 10 years since
Grant left the White House, by far the
larger part of the politicians then in control
of that party have moved off the stage.
Some have gone over to the majority, ''cross-
ed the line between invisibility," as Mr.
Conkling once expressed it: but the majority
of them are still alive. They have had their
day. They have gone to seed, and though
many of them are daily at work earning
or preserving their fortunes, and not a
few are still men in the vigor of life, yet
the story of the Republican politicians
who were very prominent 90 and 10 years
ago suggests the very ephemeral nature of
power.
Senator Stewart was in the Senate during
the Grant regime, and was man of some
political and personal consequence He has
been out of the Senate some 10 or 13 years.
He will take his seat at the next session, and
find only three members of that body there
now who were there in 1S73-Sherman,
Edmunds and Morrill,. The House of Repre-
sentatives contains less than 20 members
who were there when Stewart left the SEN
ate. On both sides new men have come
to the front, and the fact is especially strik-
ing when the great leaders of the Republicans
are remembered, because for many years the
Democrats were in very small minority
SO that new faces did not take the place of
old ones as the party strength increased
Stewart comes back like political Rip Van
Winkle.
How powerfully the grim grinding of the
wheels of fate is brought to us when we
recall some of the men who were in lofty
seats of power when Stewart Quilted the
Senate, and who are still alive. Sherman and
Edmunds and Morrill, and Allison retain their
places of influence, but who in 1873 would
have deemed possible the serio- o-comic termin-
alton of Conklings political career? There
was Lot M. Morrill, senator from Maine and
man of force. He stepped from the Senate
to the custom house at Portland by way of
the Treasury department, and then he died.
You will see wandering about the streets
at Washington, with his head bowed. a man
who bears all the appearance of one lonely
and desolates, who carries in his hand
a few briefs done up with red tape, in
which he appears in the departments where
he earns living as q claim lawyer Yet
he has been governor of Massachusetts,,
SENATOR IN congress, and one of Grants
secretaries of the Treasury. George S. Bout
well was one of the shining lights in the Re
publican party 10 years ago, but many of the
new men in Washington do not even know
him By sight.
There goes stumping about the capital an
elderly man with a complacent smile, who
faithfully attends meetings of religious bod
les and philanthrepic societies He was in
his glory 10 years ago as q senator from Kan
sas, and his name was Subsidy Pomeroy
he lost caste with the politicians many of
wnom think that bribery is sin whenever
1t is found out, but he seems to be in as
good standing with pious organizations as
ever. There came into the Senate chamber |
one day few years ago man whom no.
body there, except the senator from his |
own state, knew. Yet only 10 years before |
he had been member of the Senate, COVER
nor of Missouri, and was the candidate for
with Horace Greeley, And
when he went out of the chamber Grafz Brown
said to FIJI end: "In there, time passes like |
lightning flash"
A gentleman recently in Iowa said that
one day, having some business with citizen
or that state, he found him in corn6eld
with his coat off, hard at work, and as he
talked with this farmer he could hardly
believe that the man had sat in the United
States Senate, and was of important enough
to be transferred to a seat in President Gar
heids cabinet That man was Senator Kirk
WOOD, and he was great person with Re-
publlcans in Iowa in the old days. We
saw recently pale faced man, who showed
greath strength of character in the lines of